TEM71: Susan de Weger of IgniteLab on why selling yourself as an artist is not selling out, the danger of the word "should" and her specific advice on applying for a grant

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TEM71: Susan de Weger of IgniteLab on why selling yourself as an artist is not selling out, the danger of the word "should" and her specific advice on applying for a grant

Topics Covered:

  • Susan's incredible career path that went from a "failed" attempt at a music career to starting and selling a multi-million dollar IT business with her husband to going back to get her graduate performance degree at the age of 40

  • The influence that Jeff Nelsen (interviewed in Episode 5) had on her career

  • How she still battles performance anxiety and has learned to accept the discomfort

  • The day she recognized that her experience and passions in both music and entrepreneurship made her want to reshape collegiate music curriculum (which led to IgniteLab)

  • Her specific advice on applying for a grant

  • Why selling yourself as an artist is not selling out

  • The importance of examining why you're afraid of rejection

  • The danger of the word "should"

  • What she learned from successfully building an IT consulting business that she's been able to apply to her music career

  • The questions you need to ask to differentiate between a good great idea and a great business

  • Why you need to figure out who you really are before learning tactics for succeeding in the music business

  • The importance of having a unique value proposition

  • How Susan's IT consulting business solved perceived problems for multiple different groups at the same time

  • Why compensating people working for you doesn't have to be only monetary and why people need to feel appreciated for their contributions

  • Networking is about giving and not about getting

Links:

Favorite Quotes:

"You have to abandon all hope for a better past."

"A great idea is not a great business."

"When you're clear on the who and the what, the how is pretty straightforward."

"You can't say thank you enough."

It would mean the world to me if you felt like making a small donation to support what I'm doing with TEM. You can find out more at:

https://www.patreon.com/tempodcast

Produced by Joey Santillo